MY ACCOUNT
Paulo Dybala began life as a Roma player by insisting he bore no ill feeling towards Inter Milan once his expected switch to San Siro failed to materialise.
Argentine forward Dybala has joined Roma on a free transfer after his contract at Juventus was allowed to expire, with the 28-year-old confident the capital club are becoming an increasingly powerful force.
Inter appeared to be the option that Dybala would choose after his Juve exit, but Nerazzurri managing director Giuseppe Marotta last week said the club had “no space” and “no need” to do that deal. They have brought in Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the close season.
“I didn’t feel betrayed,” Dybala said at a presentation media conference. “Since ending my contract with Juve I spoke to some teams more than others. I have a good relationship with Marotta.”
Dybala said Roma general manager Tiago Pinto swayed him towards the Giallorossi, and he expects last season’s Europa Conference League trophy triumph to prove a stepping stone to more success.
He said he would not celebrate if he scored in games against Juventus, and refused to speak of a Serie A title challenge – quite justifiably. Roma came home sixth in the league last season and finished 23 points behind champions Milan.
“Roma have won a very important trophy and want to have ambition for the future,” Dybala said. “Roma have grown with the coach and the players. Our goal is winning game by game, then later we’ll see where we are. Right now there are teams ahead of us for the Scudetto, we have to work to do well.
“I know there is a great desire, but it’s too early to talk about it. But I like to win.”
So does Jose Mourinho, the Roma head coach who will expect big things from Dybala.
Dybala scored 15 goals and added six assists in 38 games across all competitions last season, a big step in the right direction after a disappointing 2020-21 effort (five goals, three assists in 26 games).
His shot conversion rate of 12.4 per cent was nothing to crow about, however, compared to new Roma team-mate Tammy Abraham, whose rate of 18.18 per cent led to an 18-goal haul.
Now Dybala must put his playmaking attacking skills to work.
“Both Mou and the company showed me seriousness, enthusiasm, awareness,” Dybala said at his presentation on Tuesday. “Knowing how Roma are building, I didn’t have many doubts about choosing.
“It’s up to the coach to decide where I play, wherever is best for the good of the team. I am ready to play wherever he thinks is best. Speaking with Mourinho before moving here was a great pleasure, all the conversations we had were very productive.”
